Mieu people
Encyclopedia
The Mieu people live in the mountains of northern Vietnam
. They are considered by the government of Vietnam to be a subgroup of the Hmong people
and therefore not one of the 54 recognized ethnicities in Vietnam. However, the Mieu reject this and see themselves as a distinct ethnicity.
. They are said to have had their own kingdom in Liuzhou
, near Guilin
in Guangxi
. They rose up in arms to the invasion, oppression, and exploitation they faced from the Manchu
s and Han Chinese
. When a large force was sent to destroy this resistance, the Mieu fled to Vietnam.
, The Mieu language is also a member of Miao language
. It is officially classified as a Hmong dialect by Vietnamese linguists. However, they are neither intellegible with Hmong nor Xong, due to significant difference in vocabulary and accent. Their language might be a member of Hmu (Qiandong Miao, gheis Hmub - hveb Qeef dongb), most possibly the Southern Qiandong Miao [hms] language.
The Mieu were mainly monolingual until around 1954. During this time they had little contact with other ethnic groups except for some Mieu men who went to markets. Especially since 1968, when many Mieu were resettled to foothills to practice wet rice cultivation, more of them became fluent in Tay
. When the resources of the central state to reach out to mountainous areas and the ethnic minorities there increased, Vietnamese
became more dominant.
The Mieu do not have any writing system. The proposed Hmong script was rejected as not suitable for Mieu language. The Chinese Qiandong Miao Latin Alphabet might be suitable to them, which is based on Northern Qiandong Miao [hea].
Na Mieu is the sole non-Hmong
Miao
speaking people outside China.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. They are considered by the government of Vietnam to be a subgroup of the Hmong people
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
and therefore not one of the 54 recognized ethnicities in Vietnam. However, the Mieu reject this and see themselves as a distinct ethnicity.
Origin and 'Loss of Country'
According to Mieu folk songs (tu siv) the Mieu people descended from immigrants from southern ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. They are said to have had their own kingdom in Liuzhou
Liuzhou
-History:thumb|Liuchow in 1945.Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. when it was known as Tanzhong....
, near Guilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...
in Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
. They rose up in arms to the invasion, oppression, and exploitation they faced from the Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
s and Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
. When a large force was sent to destroy this resistance, the Mieu fled to Vietnam.
Language
Like Hmong dialectsHmong language
Hmong or Mong is the common name for a dialect continuum of the West Hmongic branch of the Hmong–Mien/Miao–Yao language family spoken by the Hmong people of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos...
, The Mieu language is also a member of Miao language
Miao language
Miao refers to the various languages of the Miao peoples of China. The Miao languages are part of the Hmong–Mien language family. It is written with Chinese characters or the Latin alphabet...
. It is officially classified as a Hmong dialect by Vietnamese linguists. However, they are neither intellegible with Hmong nor Xong, due to significant difference in vocabulary and accent. Their language might be a member of Hmu (Qiandong Miao, gheis Hmub - hveb Qeef dongb), most possibly the Southern Qiandong Miao [hms] language.
The Mieu were mainly monolingual until around 1954. During this time they had little contact with other ethnic groups except for some Mieu men who went to markets. Especially since 1968, when many Mieu were resettled to foothills to practice wet rice cultivation, more of them became fluent in Tay
Tay people
The Tày people speak a language of the Central Tai language group, and live in northern Vietnam. They are sometimes also called Thô, T'o, Tai Tho, Ngan, Phen, Thu Lao, or Pa Di....
. When the resources of the central state to reach out to mountainous areas and the ethnic minorities there increased, Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
became more dominant.
The Mieu do not have any writing system. The proposed Hmong script was rejected as not suitable for Mieu language. The Chinese Qiandong Miao Latin Alphabet might be suitable to them, which is based on Northern Qiandong Miao [hea].
Na Mieu is the sole non-Hmong
Hmong language
Hmong or Mong is the common name for a dialect continuum of the West Hmongic branch of the Hmong–Mien/Miao–Yao language family spoken by the Hmong people of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos...
Miao
Miao language
Miao refers to the various languages of the Miao peoples of China. The Miao languages are part of the Hmong–Mien language family. It is written with Chinese characters or the Latin alphabet...
speaking people outside China.